The Wonder Bar, for decades a pizza institution, up for sale

WORCESTER — The Wonder Bar, a city institution and among the first restaurants in the city to sell pizza, has closed. The restaurant and the building at 121 Shrewsbury St. are for sale.

The restaurant, which hasn't been open in recent weeks, was named after an old Al Jolson movie, "Wonder Bar." The restaurant sold whole pizzas for 35 cents when it opened in 1922.

Robert and Candace Dagnello, owners of the pizza restaurant, have owned a copy of the movie "Wonder Bar" for years, but never had time to watch it.

"We'll have time now," Mrs. Dagnello said. "It's sad, but at the same time, my husband's had enough."

The real estate agent for the restaurant, Rosalind Levine of Roz Real Estate, called the Wonder Bar "an icon in the city."

She said the business and building were listed a couple of weeks ago. Ms. Levine said she will be presenting four offers to buy the property and restaurant to the Dagnellos.

"He loves that business like nothing he's ever seen," Ms. Levine said. "But he got tired and decided now was the time to sell."

Pasquale Bisceglia came to Worcester from Italy in 1904 and founded the restaurant in 1922 after working at the Norton Co. He passed the business on to his son, Tony, who operated the restaurant for 43 years, before he sold it to his nephew, Mr. Dagnello, in 1991.

"This place is loved by the Worcester community. People have been calling and telling me how much they loved it," Ms. Levine said. "One interesting thing about it is the pizza was made in the basement and comes up from the basement in a dumbwaiter."

The mixed-use building was constructed in 1920 and has four apartments above the restaurant.

"I have a lot of people who aren't happy," Mrs. Dagnello said. including family, staff, tenants and customers — some who visited the restaurant every day. "Even his aunt Gloria, she's 87, waitresses here. She can't hear too well. It's sad for everyone."

But the good news, according to Mrs. Dagnello, is that the Wonder Bar is going to stay a pizza restaurant. New owners will be carefully chosen, she said, and recipes and staff will be passed on.

"It's time; it's been three generations," Mrs. Dagnello said. She added that she and her husband will also miss the generations of families who ordered pizzas and celebrated so many happy family events.

"The next at bat is in line," Mrs. Dagnello said. "It will be really good."

Mrs. Dagnello said the restaurant even had an album named after it. Singer-songwriter Martin Sexton wrote much of an 11-song album while sitting at the bar, and called the album Wonder Bar. The album was released by Atlantic records in 2000. She planned on contacting Mr. Sexton to tell him the news.

"Martin came in a couple of times with Ned (Claflin), and sat in a corner booth," Mrs. Dagnello said.

The cozy bar and booths were popular with many people who frequented the pizza parlor over the years.

"I liked the old-style atmosphere," said Worcester resident Louie Despres. "It was a friendly, homey place where you could go and see everybody you knew."

Contact Linda Bock at linda.bock@telegram.com. Follow her on Twitter @LindaBockTG.